COACHING WITH

Tammy Barnett

Category: Relationships

One Disappointment After Another

I went out to dinner looking forward to enjoying a delicious meal. As I studied the menu, I noticed a few new items had been added and they sounded really good based on the description given.  I made my choice and looked forward to experiencing a tasty new dish.  When my meal arrived, it looked and smelled wonderful, but after sampling the first bite it was clearly not what I was expecting.

Last week, the lawn service arrived in the morning to mow the lawn. When I went out to the backyard later that day, I discovered that one of the plants I had been caring for and was getting ready to bloom had been cut down by the weed eater.


Life Struggles Matter

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has to go through to achieve that beauty” – Maya Angelou

It was a sunny spring afternoon. A man walked out into his backyard and found hanging on one of his bushes a large butterfly chrysalis.  There was no sign of life, but he looked forward to checking back the next day in hopes to find something new. Day after day passed and each time the man checked on the chrysalis, he was disappointed to find it remained hanging in stillness.

Then, one day when the man was just about to give up, he noticed some movement and there in the top of the chrysalis was a tiny hole.


Need More Energy?

Last week I met up with a few friends on a beautiful sunny day. We sat in a beautiful garden under a large shade tree sharing with each other the fun things that had been going on in our lives. It was so wonderful to be outside in the fresh Florida air admiring the beauty all around and catching up with friends! As I was driving home later that day, I became aware of how energized I felt.  The feeling of much positivity and gratitude within my soul made my “life energy tank” seem completely full.

What about You?

Ever have one of those energizing days?  Or experienced one of those moments when someone unexpectedly tells you how much they appreciate you or pays you a compliment that makes you feel 10 feet tall?


Is My Advice Needed?

People don’t always need advice…Sometimes all they need is an ear to listen and a heart to understand.

Earlier this week I learned that two sets of family members living in two different cities in Texas had lost power during the night and with lots of snow and ice all around them, the temperatures were not going to even come close to hitting double digits.  As I listened to the news, the information was not good.  The power could quite possibly remain off for 24 hours or more and another storm with ice was expected to hit within hours. No doubt this problem was not going to be resolved quickly and the challenge of staying warm, cooking food,


Make It A Golden Holiday

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  It can be!

The other day I had a conversation with a friend who has been experiencing a difficult year with family relationships and unexpected financial burdens.  When the topic of the holidays came up in our conversation, my friend told me she has decided to  forget about enjoying the holiday season this year and will hope for a better one next year.

No doubt this year is different. 2020 has brought many obstacles into all of our lives.  Difficult relationships, medical diagnosis, financial burdens, isolation, cancelled events, and the threat of contracting Covid-19 are just some of the circumstances that have made this year challenging.

And now there are the holiday expectations

Expectations we hold for ourselves to do everything “just right.” Expectations to carry out traditions handed down from our past which creates an image of what our holiday “should” look like.